Sunday, February 6, 2011

My drawing from yesterday, a little fruit cup that came with my lunch in a plastic condoment container. One of those familiar objects that we know and yet when studied carefully, has many small design details.

I had a really nice conversation about my art with another artist/gallery professional. Very encouraging both in terms of what I am doing and possibilities for showing the work.

I also had a terrific meeting for a show I'm doing in the GSU gallery in March. I love working with other artists and artwork and making something new with different combinations.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I have these old photos of my dad as a young man that I am drawing as a group. Instead of drawing the photographic image to leave the viewer wondering if it was drawn from a photograph or from the actual subject, I want to make it clear that these were drawn from the photograph, that they are drawings of photographs, not the subject.

But at the same time the subject is fully present.

What is also really interesting to me is that these photographs hint at a side of my dad that I never really saw. I knew him as a traditional, conservative man who was a football player, tough business man, and a cigar smoking golfer. Some of it is just the era the photos were captured and the changes of time but the car that he is proudly standing next to, the 'bathing beauty' pose, the bowtie with the polka dot umbrella conjure a softer image than I am used to associating with my dad.

If nothing else I found a bit of humor in them.

I measured my walking route in my neighborhood that I have been walking almost daily. I took the car out and drove the loop including the park at the edge of the neighborhood and it measures 2.5 miles exactly. I think I walk it in about 40 minutes.

Yesterday I had the added benefit of walking across campus from a faculty meeting where one of my colleagues gave me a box of books. It wasn't heavy at the start so I turned down the offer for a ride (across campus, are you kidding?) and by the time I got back to my office it was a good workout.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

What I think I'm seeking in this 100 drawings in 100 days project is a departure from last year's project. So instead of objects about the size you can hold in your hand, I'm turning to other sources for imagery. Room views, more complex still life arrangements and tonight, photographs.

I have a few photographs in my studio that were taken by my father when he was in the service and stationed in Germany. I think about what his experience was, what he saw, how it felt and what his memories might have been.

April of 1954 is the date written on the backs of some of the pictures.

What is interesting to me is that they aren't all tourist snapshots but rather composed photographs that seem to reveal his artistic eye and desire to create artful photographs.